WeKnow.ac virus - How to remove

WeKnow.ac is the main website of a browser hijacker, that victim sees as the main homepage, once the threat sneaks into their computers. The WeKnow.ac browser virus is mainly designed to alter search engine settings on Safari, Chrome, and other browsers so that developers could benefit from all the aggressive ads and promotions. Having access to the browser allows the WeKnow.ac virus to inject ads where they don’t belong.

If you become infected with the WeKnow.ac virus, there is no doubt that your every step will not only be followed by online offers, but crooks will also be watching what data you enter into text fields, what websites you visit, what ads you click on, and maybe even more. When you do decide to remove the WeKnow.ac browser hijacker, you may experience some real challenge because this malware is really persistent and is not going to let you go so easily, therefore we have prepared special instructions on different types of elimination of the WeKnow.ac browser infection and some important facts to learn if you still wonder whether to keep it or not.

How malicious is WeKnow.ac virus

WeKnow.ac browser hijacker is no different than FooBaroo.com, search.kuklorest.com, search.pitchofcase.com. Like these sites, WeKnow.ac infects browsers and replaces user’s default settings to its own so that developers can have the full control of how much and what content to post, which brings them revenue. Since malvertising has been on the rise for a few years, more and more hackers turned to this type of malware, because it can bring pretty decent money, without them having to do any further work. In other words, WeKnow.ac makes money by unnecessarily injecting itself between another search engine and you, the user – while not providing anything valuable.

Which means that WeKnow.ac is a search hijacker, as well as an adware virus that should be removed as soon as it’s discovered:

Type of threat	Adware, browser hijacker, PUP (potentially unwanted program).
Symptoms	Home and new tab page set to WeKnow.ac, can’t change the new tab page, search results are returned by Webcrawler.com, can’t change default search engine settings.
Effects of the WeKnow.ac search virus	Ads in search results are more numerous than most mainstream search engines, the WeKnow.ac plugin has access to private information that might be misused, inability to customize your browser.
Remove WeKnow.ac	Automatically remove suspicious programs from your computer (Combo Cleaner for Mac, SpyHunter for PC), uninstall WeKnow.ac and other untrustworthy browser extensions.

The WeKnow.ac browser virus was developed and released in June 2018 by some developers from the Download Valley. It already has 50 thousand visits, bringing traffic mostly from the US, France, Turkey, Germany, and Hungary. It is also noticed that some users are redirected from Youtube and other social media ads. The company claims that their developed software (including WeKnow.ac virus) is meant to be used by millions of people worldwide, giving them access to the best content for anyone, no matter their technical skillset. Yet, this is not fully true, and the crooks more likely are going to use those with no computer knowledge than help them. Indeed, search viruses like WeKnow.ac are often the biggest threat to those who don’t know exactly how browser extensions work and can’t easily recognize and remove them.

The company behind the WeKnow.ac browser virus admits that some services will be provided by Trovi Search, which is another popular browser hijacker, but the 2-viruses.com team saw WebCrawler search engine in use as the main search engine, which you get redirected to from the main page. This means that the WeKnow.ac engine doesn’t provide unique search results and uses other tools, which are also dubious, to provide content for victim’s search queries. All the affiliated offers that come on the top of the page for any keyword make money for the hijacker, but there is no service that’s being provided for the user.

What is more, WeKnow.ac seems to be designed for MAC OS users, because at the corner right there is an additional function called Mac Cleaner. When clicked on Mac Cleaner you get directed to another questionable site that offers the MacKeeper app, which you should avoid. But ads right on the front page is not all that the WeKnow.ac virus can do.

The main reason why this browser hijacker is considered dangerous is the unlimited advertising by third-parties that are allowed to directly place offers that can contain malware to the user, and also data tracking. Some data is used for the improvement of marketing so that the ads in search results can be more appealing to you. But if WeKnow.ac collects other, more important data, like your credentials, banking info, passwords, purchases, emails and location and etc., we don’t know. Furthermore, you cannot do anything about it because WeKnow.ac virus creators protect themselves by stating all of it in their EULA.

While it is not our intention to collect any personally identifiable information (“PII”) (except for registration and user support purposes as set forth in this Privacy Policy), the data collected may include PII. As part of our privacy measures, we implement certain rules designed to avoid the unintentional collection of PII such as email addresses, social security numbers, credit card numbers, login information etc. Such rules are based on known field types, parameters, values and algorithms but they are not foolproof and hence the Software & Services may sometimes, unintentionally, collect unwanted information. We regularly examine and update these rules.

Certain Software & Services may include and/or enable you to add Content to them. The Content may be in the form of apps, buttons, gadgets, links to third party advertisements, websites, products and services (including search services) as well as additional means that are provided to you by third parties (collectively, “Third Party Content and Services”). The use of such Third Party Content and Services is subject to their privacy policies. In addition, the Company provides such third parties with a large number of tools to enable them to create interesting and unique apps, buttons, and gadgets using the Company’s platform. Some of these tools may give these third parties the ability to access, collect, store, and/or share your information – both your PII and non-personally identifiable information. In order to clarify, we do not review, approve, monitor, endorse, warrant, or make any representations with respect to such Third Party Content and Services and your access to any Third Party Content and Services is at your own risk.

As you can see, the WeKnow.ac virus is not useful and moreover, can do some really malicious things to your PC and your privacy, that is why without any further discussions, you need to remove it immediately.

How did you get WeKnow.ac hijacker

If you are reading this article, then probably you did not install WeKnow.ac voluntarily yourself. Even if you did the effect is the same and it still has to be removed. Browser hijackers like WeKnow.ac virus have way too much access to your browser and your private data, so other extensions should c=be considered carefully, too.

Hijackers usually use bundling or malicious sites to get into victims’ computers without them even knowing until the very final infection process is done and WeKnow.ac presents itself in the browser, already settled in. If you tend to use distributing sites or torrents to get most of your programs, this can be the reason why you ended up with the WeKnow.ac hijacker.

These websites are known to distribute malware in legitimate programs’ Setup Assistants, which sometimes allow you to opt-out from adding all the additional malicious applications, but sometimes you install them with the main software with no warning or any mention. Most likely you skipped through installation really fast, not reading a thing, and instead of unchecking the pre-selected box of WeKnow.ac search engine installation, you went with the default set up. That is why you should never go with the Express/Recommended installation and get programs only from their official sites. Also, take a look at which download portals you should avoid.

How to quickly remove WeKnow.ac virus

The quickest and most efficient way to remove WeKnow.ac virus that we and our readers swear by is to use a special automatic malware removal tool. It does not matter what kind of security software you use, but for us SpyHunter (PC), Malwarebytes, and Combo Cleaner (Mac) have been the most useful in such cases. The benefit of anti-malware programs is that all you have to do is to run a scan and they hunt down all the hidden threats in your PC, which could have entered through WeKnow.ac as well, and they delete all related files of the virus, so it would not show up again. Of course, afterward, you still need to set the homepage back to normal, but at least you don’t have to worry about your privacy and your system’s well-being.

Although mainly WeKnow.ac browser hijacker was created to target MAC and Safari users, any other OS and browser can get infected as well. Below we demonstrate how to remove WeKnow.ac virus from all browsers step-by-step, so if you were having issues removing it by hand, this guide should help you. Furthermore, if you keep having problems and can’t change your homepage back to your regular one even after the full removal then please take a look at our other article, where we show how to spot and reset settings of DNS and clean Host files, which can be the case of WeKnow.ac not leaving you alone.

Automatic Malware removal tools

How to uninstall WeKnow.ac browser hijacker manually

How to remove WeKnow.ac using Windows Control Panel

Many hijackers and adware like WeKnow.ac virus install some of their components as regular Windows programs as well as additional software. This part of malware can be uninstalled from the Control Panel. To access it, do the following.

• Start→Control Panel (older Windows) or press Windows Key→Search and enter Control Panel and then press Enter (Windows 8, Windows 10).
• Choose Uninstall Program (if you don't see it, click in the upper right next to "View by" and select Category).
• Go through the list of programs and select entries related to WeKnow.ac . You can click on "Name" or "Installed On" to reorder your programs and make WeKnow.ac virus easier to find.
• Click the Uninstall button. If you're asked if you really want to remove the program, click Yes.
• In many cases anti-malware programs are better at detecting related parasites, thus I recommend installing Spyhunter to identify other programs that might be a part of this infection.

How to remove WeKnow.ac from macOS

Delete WeKnow.ac virus from your applications.

1. Open Finder.
2. In the menu bar, click Go.
3. Select Applications from the dropdown.
4. Find the WeKnow.ac app.
5. Select it and right-click it (or hold the Ctrl and click the left mouse button).
6. In the dropdown, click Move to Bin/Trash. You might be asked to provide your login password.

TopHow To remove WeKnow.ac virus from Google Chrome:

• Click on the 3 horizontal lines icon on a browser toolbar and Select More Tools→Extensions
  
• Select all malicious extensions and delete them.
  
• Click on the 3 horizontal lines icon on a browser toolbar and Select Settings
  
• Select Manage Search engines
  
• Remove unnecessary search engines from the list
  
• Go back to settings. On Startup choose Open blank page (you can remove undesired pages from the set pages link too).
• If your homepage was changed, click on Chrome menu on the top right corner, select Settings. Select Open a specific page or set of pages and click on Set pages.
  
• Delete malicious search websites at a new Startup pages window by clicking “X” next to them.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

If you are still experiencing any issues related to WeKnow.ac virus, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on a Chrome’s menu button (three horizontal lines) and select Settings.
• Scroll to the end of the page and click on theReset browser settings button.
  
• Click on the Reset button on the confirmation box.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

How To remove WeKnow.ac virus from Firefox:Top

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla window and select the “Add-ons” icon (Or press Ctrl+Shift+A on your keyboard).
  
• Go through Extensions and Addons list, remove everything WeKnow.ac virus related and items you do not recognise. If you do not know the extension and it is not made by Mozilla, Google, Microsoft, Oracle or Adobe then you probably do not need it.
  
• If your homepage was changed, click on the Firefox menu in the top right corner, select Options → General. Enter a preferable URL to the homepage field and click Restore to Default.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to WeKnow.ac, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla Firefox window. Click on the Help button.
  
• ChooseTroubleshooting Information on the Help menu.
  
• Click on theReset Firefox button.
  
• Click on the Reset Firefox button on the confirmation box. Mozilla Firefox will close and change the settings to default.
  

If the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program to identify malicious entries.

How to remove WeKnow.ac virus from Microsoft Edge:Top

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Microsoft Edge window. Select “Extensions”.

• Select all malicious extensions and delete them.

• Click on the three-dot menu on the browser toolbar and Select Settings

• Select Privacy and Services and scroll down. Press on Address bar.

• Choose Manage search engines.

• Remove unnecessary search engines from the list: open the three-dot menu and choose Remove.

• Go back to Settings. Open On start-up.
• Delete malicious search websites at Open specific page or pages by opening the three-dot menu and clicking Delete.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to WeKnow.ac virus, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings

• Click on Edge's menu button and select Settings. Click on the Reset Settings button on the left.
• Press the Restore settings to their default values option.

• Click on the Reset button on the confirmation box.

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

How to remove WeKnow.ac virus from Safari:Top

Remove malicious extensions

• Click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Preferences.
  
• Select Extensions and uninstall WeKnow.ac and other suspicious extensions.
  
• If your homepage was changed, click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Preferences and choose General tab. Enter preferable URL to the homepage field.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings(older versions) If you are still experiencing any issues related to WeKnow.ac virus, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Reset Safari…
  
• Select which options you want to reset (usually all of them come preselected) and click on the Reset button.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.